Light emitting devices and applications thereof
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A light fixture, comprising:
- at least one light source; and
a lightguide that formsan edge surface, andan upper surface and a lower surface that are in facing opposition to one another, are substantially horizontal and are orthogonal to the edge surface where the upper and lower surfaces abut the edge surface;
the lightguide being operable to couple light from the at least one light source through the edge surface into the lightguide, and includinga substantially non-scattering region comprising substantially non-scattering surface portions of each of the upper and lower surfaces in facing opposition to one another, with a substantially non-scattering portion of the lightguide therebetween, such that the lightguide contains the light by total internal reflection in the substantially non-scattering region, anda light extracting region that disrupts the total internal reflection such that parts of the light coupled to the light extracting region are emitted upwardly from the upper surface and downwardly from the lower surface of the lightguide, the light emitted upwardly forming an indirect light output and the light emitted downwardly forming a direct light output;
the lightguide being curved along a width thereof, such that the curvature of the lightguide and the light extracting region provide the indirect light output with a two lobed, far field photometric distribution.
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Abstract
In one aspect, the present invention provides light emitting devices, including light fixtures and luminaires. In some embodiments, a light emitting device comprises at least one light source, a lightguide operable to receive light from the at least one light source at a first location on the lightguide, at least one light extraction region optically coupled to the lightguide and a substantially non-scattering region along a portion of the lightguide.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A light fixture, comprising:
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at least one light source; and a lightguide that forms an edge surface, and an upper surface and a lower surface that are in facing opposition to one another, are substantially horizontal and are orthogonal to the edge surface where the upper and lower surfaces abut the edge surface; the lightguide being operable to couple light from the at least one light source through the edge surface into the lightguide, and including a substantially non-scattering region comprising substantially non-scattering surface portions of each of the upper and lower surfaces in facing opposition to one another, with a substantially non-scattering portion of the lightguide therebetween, such that the lightguide contains the light by total internal reflection in the substantially non-scattering region, and a light extracting region that disrupts the total internal reflection such that parts of the light coupled to the light extracting region are emitted upwardly from the upper surface and downwardly from the lower surface of the lightguide, the light emitted upwardly forming an indirect light output and the light emitted downwardly forming a direct light output; the lightguide being curved along a width thereof, such that the curvature of the lightguide and the light extracting region provide the indirect light output with a two lobed, far field photometric distribution. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method of lighting comprising:
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providing a light emitting device comprising at least one light source, a lightguide having at least first, second and third surfaces, and operable to couple light from the at least one light source through first surface into the lightguide, and having a light emitting region that is laterally bounded by a substantially non-scattering region formed by a substantially non-scattering portion of the lightguide between non-scattering portions of the second surface and third surface of the lightguide, such that light coupled into the lightguide is contained therein by total internal reflection in the substantially non-scattering region; transmitting light from the light source into the lightguide; extracting a first portion of the light from the lightguide, at the light emitting region, for emission from the light emitting device as an indirect light output in a first direction, wherein the lightguide and the light emitting region are curved such that the curvature of the lightguide and the light emitting region provide the indirect light output with a two lobed, far field photometric distribution; and extracting a second portion of the light from the lightguide, at the light emitting region, for emission from the light emitting device as a direct light output, in a second direction that is generally opposite from the first direction. - View Dependent Claims (47)
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48. A light fixture, comprising:
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a plurality of light sources; and a lightguide formed of an optical material that is substantially non-scattering throughout a thickness of the lightguide, the lightguide forming a length and width and comprising; an upper surface and a lower surface that are both substantially horizontal in an orientation of use, the upper and lower surfaces being in facing opposition to one another across a vertical thickness; an edge surface along the length of the lightguide that is substantially vertical in the orientation of use, and abuts the upper and lower surfaces orthogonally, whereby light from the plurality of light sources can couple through the edge surface into the lightguide;
the lightguide further forminga substantially non-scattering region, comprising substantially non-scattering portions of each of the upper and lower surfaces in facing opposition to one another, with a substantially non-scattering portion of the optical material therebetween, such that the lightguide contains the light by total internal reflection in the substantially non-scattering region, and a light extracting region that is formed by the addition of a volumetric light scattering element to one of the upper and lower surfaces, and disrupts the total internal reflection such that parts of the light coupled to the light extracting region are emitted upwardly from the upper surface and downwardly from the lower surface of the lightguide, the light emitted upwardly forming an indirect light output and the light emitted downwardly forming a direct light output; the lightguide being curved along the width, such that the curvature of the lightguide and the volumetric light scattering element provide the indirect light output with a two lobed, far field photometric distribution. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50)
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Specification